Sheet cutting machine



M.'J. Fr-:Y

SHEET CUTTING MACHINE May 5, 1953 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed July 16, 194'?May 5, 1953 M. J. FEY

SHEET CUTTING MACHINE Filed July 16, 1947 2 SHEETS--SHEET 2 l l I 55'-3? @.5

| 0 k .5a 31; I A

l 32 Y D i 30 29 INVENTOR.

Patented May 5, 19.53

,ENT OFFICE SHEET oc'rriNG Machine Mathias J. Fey, Davenport, Iowa,assigner to Nichols Wire andl Steel Company, Davenport, Iowa, acorporation of Iowa Application July 16, 1947, Serial No. 761,337

(Cl. 16d- 49) 8 Claims.

This invention relates generally to cutting mechanisms and in particularto a method for cutting sheets of very accurate length from long stripsof metal or other material.

ln the prior art, various methods and machines have been devised forcutting sheets from long strips of material. Attemptshave been made toprovide automatic machines which operate rapidly and at the same timeprovide sheets the lengthscf which are very accurate. Machines have`been devised in which'the strip of material is continuously fed and thecutting mechanism moves with the strip so that the operation takes placewithout interrupting the feeding of the strip. These machines which havebeen commonly designated as flying shears are very complicated andaccordingly are expensive in original cost and require a considerableamount of maintenance resulting in high operating costs. Machines havealso been produced in which a stationary shear blade is used andthelength of the material cut oli is determined by operation of the feedingmechanism.v However, prior machines of this type have not 'been entirelysatisfactory as-they do not provide the desired accuracy, a tolerance ofthe order of one inch being about the best obtainable.

It is, therefore,l an object of the present invention to provide animproved method for cutting sheets of very accurate length Yfrom stripmaterial.

A further object of this' invention is to provide an improved machinefor automatically feeding strip material andcutting it into sheets ofvery accurate length.

A still further object of l this invention is to provide a relativelysimple machine for close tolerance cutting of sheets from a strip ofmetal provided on a roll and for automatically stacking the cut sheets.

A feature of this invention is the provision of a method forclose-tolerance cutting of sheets in which the portion of a strip fromwhich the sheet is being cut is bowed across its width and thereby maderigid so that the portion of the strip extending between twopredetermined points will be of a fixed length.

A further feature of this invention is the provision of a method forcutting sheets from fiat strip material in which over-run of the stripdue to themomentum of the feeding mechanism does not affect the lengthof the sheet which is cut ofi.

Another feature of thisiinvention is the provi.- sion of ra lmachinehavingl aV feeding lmechanism for feeding a strip of material pastcutting means il il and including means for disengaging the feedingmechanism before the required amount of material is red and means forpositively stopping the feeding of the material when the required lengthhas'been fed past the cutting means.

Still another feature ofjthis invention is the provision of an automaticcutting machine in which strip material is fed along rail means and isautomatically cut to the desired length and in which the rail meansV areretracted after the sheet is cut so thatthe sheetsare dropped andsta-cited one on top or" the'other.

A still further feature of this invention isthe provision of .a machinefor cutting sheets from fiat strip material in which the strip is fedpast cutting means and the portion beyond the cutting means is stifienedso that when the end thereof engages a positive stop, the feeding of thestrip past the cutting means will be stopped and any additionalportionof the strip fed will accumulate between the feeding mechanismand the cutting means'so that the length of the strip out oli will notbe affected thereby.

Further objects, features and advantages will be apparent fromaconsideration of the following description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings in'whichr' v u Fig. i is a sidevview of theautomatic cutting machine -in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is atop viewof the'cutting machine of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a detailed View of the stop mechanism;

Fig. l illustrates the `manner in which the strip is stifiened by thecutting mechanism; and

Fig. is a cross-sectional View along the lines t-sof Fig. 2.

In accordance with the invention, a method is provided for cuttingsheets of very accurate length from a strip of material which may be aroll of metal suchas aluminum. ln this method the strip is fed on railmeans past cutting means and the portion fed beyond the cutting means isbowed across the width thereof to stiien this portion. "i hen the end ofthe strip reaches a preidetermined point the feeding mechanismisfdisengaged from its `driving means and themechanism is stopped assocnas possible. However, in orde) to handle metal strips ofvconsiderable width, the feeding mechanism must he relatively heavyaccordingly a definite tirncis required before the feeding mechanismwill stopevenwhen using effective braking means. When the .end of thestrip reaches a hired point beyond the prede-y termined point it ispositivelystopped and as the portion between the cutting means and thestop is relatively rigid, additional material will not be fed past thecutting means. A space is provided between the feeding mechanism and thecutting means and the portion of the strip extending in this space isnot stiffened so that any additional material fed after the stripengages the positive stop may accumulate in this space. After themovement of the strip has stopped, the cutting means are actuatedcausing the sheet of the desired length to be cut off. This sheet isthen dropped by the rails on which it is supported and the cycle startedagain resulting in the cutting of additional sheets. An automaticmachine for accomplishing this method has also been provided and will bedescribed in detail hereinafter.

Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2, there is illustrated one form in whichthe cutting machine in accordance with the invention may be embodied.This apparatus includes a feeding mechanism generally indicated at I0,cutting means II, rail means I2 for supporting and bowing the strip, anda stop mechanism generally indicatedas I3. For supporting the variousoperating components referred to above, a frame structure I 4 isprovided and a driving mechanism I5 including a driving motor I6 isprovided for furnishing power for operation of the machine. The framestructure I4 includes means for supporting a roll of strip material 2Dwhich may be metal such as aluminum. A plurality of rollers 2|, 22, 23,24 and 25 9 are provided for straightening the strip and guiding itthrough the machine. Annular rims 2G may be provided on the rollers asillustrated on rollers 22 and 23 for guiding the sheet into the machine.The feeding mechanism includes additional rollers 28 and 29 which aredriven by the driving mechanism I5 for feeding the strip 20 as will befurther explained.

The strip 20 is fed along a support 30, under a movable shear blade 3|which is part of the cutting means II, and then along tubular rails 32and 33 which support the edges of the sheet. A third rail member 34 issupported above the rails 32 and 33 by a frame member 35 which is a partof the frame structure I4 of the machine. The rail 34 includes an end 36which is positioned above the tubular rails 32 and 33 so that the strip20 is fed therebetween. The forward end 31 of the rail 34 extends belowthe upper surface of the tubular rails 32 and 33 so that as the strip isfed along the rails it is bowed down in the center` in a manner clearlyshown in Fig. 5. The rail 34 is therefore interposed between rails 32and 33 so that the surfaces thereof which engage the strip bow the same.rIhis bowing of the strip across its width stiffens the strip lengthwisein a well known manner. The feeding mechanism ID feeds the strip 20until it engages the stop I3 after which automatic controls cause thefeeding mechanism to be disengaged from the driving means, the end ofthe strip 20 to be positively stopped, and the cutting mechanism to cutoff the strip at the desired length. These automatic controls will belater described in detail.

It is pointed out here that the feeding mechanism, the cutting means,and the driving means are not in themselves a part of the invention andcomponents of any standard construction can be used. Specifically, thevarious components of the driving mechanism such as the shafts, chainand belt drives, and clutches may 'be of any suitable construction andare illustrated only schematically to point out the manner in which themachine operates. Also, the specific construction of the feedingmechanism and cutting means are merely illustrative, and thesecomponents may take any other well known form. The over-all machinewhich includes these elements in combination with the rail means and thestop mechanism is, however, a part of the present invention. Thismachine also provides one structure by which the method of the inventioncan be practiced.

Referring now to the driving means I5 shown in Fig. 2, it is noted thatthe motor I6 is connected to shaft 40 through a belt 4I. Shafts 42 and43 may be driven from shaft 40 by chains 44 and 45, respectively. Thefeeding roller 28 is operatively connected to the shaft 40 by clutch 4Band the roller 29 is geared to the roller 28 so that the two rollers aresimultaneously driven. The cutting means I I is adapted to be connectedto the shaft 42 by clutch 41 and a control shaft 43 is connected to theshaft 43 by clutch 49. The cutting means includes a shaft 50 having apair of cams 5I secured thereon which are adapted to engage projectingarms 52 secured to the shear blade 3 I. To permit movement of the shearblade 3l in a vertical direction, it is supported in guides 53. Theblade is held in the normal upward position by springs 54 which bearagainst the pro- J'ecting arms 52, and when the shaft 50 is connected tothe driving mechanism I5 by clutch 41, the cams 5i rotate so that theextending portions thereof bear against the projecting arms 52 to causethe shear blade 3I to move downwardly. The Iblade 3| cooperates with astationary shear blade 55 to cut off the strip 20.

The rail means 32 and 33 are retractable to drop a sheet which has beencut off. These rails are supported by arms 6U pivotally supported on theframe structure I4. For moving the rails 32 and 33, actuating bars 6Iare provided which are arranged to be moved to the right (Fig. 2) tocause the rails to move to the left and to be withdrawn from under theedges of the sheet as will be apparent. The bars 6| are actuated by alever 62 which is operatively connected to a cam 65 on the control shaft48 by arms 63 and 64. The arm 64 extends vertically and is moved to theright by the projecting part, of the cam 65 when the shaft 48 isrotated. Springs 59 connected between certain of the arms 60 and theframe structure hold the rails 32 and 33 in the normal position forsupporting the strip 28. As illustrated in Fig. l, a iiat truck 68 canbe positioned under the rail structure I2 so that as the movable rails32 and 33 are retracted the sheet which is cut off can be droppedthereon. Suitable guiding structures such as illustrated at G9 can besecured to the frame I4 so that the sheets are stacked in an even pileby the cutting machine.

Referring now to Fig. 3, the details of the stop mechanism I 3 will bedescribed. The stop mechanism includes a base portion I0 which isadjustably supported on the frame member 35. This adjustment can beprovided by making the base 'ID of a channel-shaped configuration whichfits on the edge of the member 35 and providing a thumb screw l'I forholding the base in position. The stop is adjustably positioned alongthe support 35 so that sheets can be cut to any desired length as willbe described. The stop includes a vertical portion 12 and a movable arm13. The movable arm includes a plate 'I4 thereon which is positioned tobe engaged by the end of the strip 20 as it is fed along the railstructure. A

switch 'I5 is provided on the vertical portion 12 having a movablecontact member 'I6 adapted apanage,

to be operated by the movable. arm 13.. A pairV of springs 'H' and 1M.are provided on the. Contact member 1t. the springl T'l being positionedbe.-A tween the movable arm, 1.31 anda rim 18 on the movable; contact 16andthe spring 11a. being posiy tionedbetween the rim '[8y andthe.portion 'l2 of` the stop. v'The spring T1, stiier, than. the spring"'tlc so. that as the arm 13, is engaged by the strip 2e the initialmovement of the. arm will be transmitted through the spring 'il'. to theContact 'it causing. thev switch 7.5 to. be closed.

Further movement of the arm. 'L3 is then absorbed by the spring Ti...Then movement of arm- ?3, isl limited by screw 19 adjustably positionedon the portion 'l2 of the stop which acts asvv a, positive stop toprevent furthe-r movement of the arm` 13.

Considering now the over-alloperation. of the machine, the strip 2.0. isfed along, the rails` 32 and 33 and is bowed. by action, of the rail,3,4.. When the end of the. strip. engages theI arm 13 the switch l5, isclosed` whichl provides a closed circuit through battery 8.!!r andsolenoid 8| (Fig.A 2). clutch d8 which connects the. control shaft 48,to the driving mechanism. Cam 8.2- is,l therefore.. rotated andoperates: through lever 83 to cause the clutch it to, be. disengagedthereby disengaging the feeding roll.. The lever 83. also, acts toengage brake Sii for stopping. the feeding mechanism. As the feedingmechanism hasl consid, erable momentum,. it. cannotr be stopped instan--taneously by the. brake and the feeding of the stripy 20 will not stop.immediately but will continue and the end of the strip will move the.`armv 'F3 until it engages the screw 13 which. acts as a, positive stop.,As the portion of the strip 2i) between the cutting` means. il and thestop i3 is bowed across its width., it. is` relatively rigidlengthwise`and the stopY i3. is, therefore, veffective to, preventl thefeeding of additional mate,- rial past the cutting means. An-yadditional material which is fed by thel feeding; mechanism after thestrip 20 engages the positive stop` will.

accumulate between the feeding rollv 28 and the cutting means H causingthe stripv tobuckle in, this space.v This actionisshown in Fig. 4 inwhich:

the strip. 2d is` shown buckled. upwardly in` the, region designated asS5..

After the feeding of the. strip 2d has stopped, the continued movementof. the control shaft 48 causesthe cam 86. thereon t0. Operate lever 81which is effective to` engage clutch 47 for connecting the cuttingmechanism to the driving means. As previously stated7 rotation of thecams 5l causes the blade- 3l` tobe moved downwardly to shear the strip2,0, asshown-,in Fig. 4. Further rotation of the control shaft 48.causes the cam 65 to engage the arm. 6.1i which acts through arm S3,lever 52 and barsY 6.1, to. retract the rails 32 and 33 causing thestrip which is cut off to be dropped, As soon as the sheet is dropped,the arm 'i3' of the stop mechanism will be. released causing thesolenoid to 'be deenergized and the control mechanism restored` tocondition for cut,-

ting another sheet. The feeding mechanism opcrates to feed the striponto, thezrail, structure again and the entire operationisautomatically` repeated.

It is apparent, therefore, that the length ofthe:

sheetcut on is accurately determined by the DO.- sition, of' the. screw19 which` forms aI positive` stop with respect to the-cutting means Hg..This distance canbealtered by adjusting the positiony of the stop, alongthe sulJPOlit 35, and ne adj-ust.-l mentcan be obtained by adiustment;yof; the4 The solenoid is arranged to operate theV on, thev length ofthe,y sheet, being cut and the. ma,"A terial of the strip.` Whenusingrelatively heavy materiali: it is not. necessary to. bow thestripas muchv as when. using lighter material and,l therefore.. the,rail 34 wouldy be positioned dip.Y

ferently with. respectto. the, rails 32 and 33.v When,

making, a, very short. cut, it. would. be. necessary to provide a,shorter rail. 3.4V and likewise-.in making. a very long cut,. a longerrail. might, be required. As the. rail 34 is. adjustably positioned onthe support 3`5 by bolts 9.0, and nuts 91 it is obviousl that byproviding a plurality of. holes in the support 35, the position of.. therail can be easily changed and longer or shorter rails. can be veryeasily substituted'.

In Figs. l and 3 there, is illustrated a.v counter 93 which may be.used. with the. stop. mechanism it; rThis counter includes. an arm. 94Mconnected through spring 96. to an, arm 95.011 the movable arm 73; ofthe, stop mechanism. Movement of the arzn 'it will be transmittedthrough the spring` St to cause movement. of arm 94` which actuates thecounting mechanism.4 Such acounter may be,

of any standard type. havingan actuating arm which can be, coupled tothe moving arm- 13. of the stop. It is apparent. that. such a, counterwould indicate the number of sheets which are, cut from the strip 2li.,As. themachine. is; fullyautomatic and cuts sheets rapidly with verylittle attention, the use of such a counter. maybe very desirable tokeep account, of the sheets out.`

lit is, therefore, seen that there, isI provided an improved method forcuttingI sheets, from; strips of material which is effective to cutsheets to very accurate lengths.. A new cutting machine for practicingthis methodis-also` provided.. Although the machine has beenV describedas suitable for cutting an, aluminum strip provided on. a roll, it isapparent thatit would be suitable for cutting sheets from. strips: ofother material whether metallic orl not as longv as the material issuiciently stiff that bowing, ofI thesameitends. to make it rigidthereby permittingthe movement. of the strip tol be positively'stoppedwhenthe end thereof moves the arm T3: in engagement with. the positivestop.- 19.

Cuttingy machines in. accordance with the. in vention have beenconstructedy and have been. fcundvery satisfactory in actual use; Whencutting, sheets trom. anA aluminum. strip, the machines have been foundto. cut. sheetsin lengthsv up to 12 feet with anerron ofonly figofV aninch; This is more accuratethan other machines available including the,much more complicatedA ma chinessuch as the dying shears. The machinecuts the sheets rapidly. and requires practically no attention,oneoperator being' able to operate a plurality of machines at theisametime. As the machine stacks thev4` cut sheets onV a truck they can. beeasilyfmoved foi-shipping' or further processing.

While havedescribedv one embodiment whichv is illustrative of myinvention, it is' obvious that variousl changes and modifications can bemade therein without departing from` the intended scope offthe inventionas defined in' the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A. machine for-close tolerance cutting; of"

sheets. from a strip of" mater-iai; comprising;` rail' means forsupporting saidfstrip, cutting means.

positioned at one end offsaid'rail'means, a stop the essaim-ii of?.fait,

mechanism positioned at the other end of said rail means, and a feedingmechanism for feeding said strip past said cutting means and along saidrail means, said rail means including a pair of side rails forsupporting the edges of the strip on the under side thereof and a centerrail positioned to engage the top surface of said strip, said centerrail having a bottom surface extending below the level of the topsurfaces of said side rails to bow said strip downward across its widthso that the portion of said strip between said cutting means and saidstop mechanism is relatively rigid.

2. A machine for close tolerance cutting of sheets from a strip ofmaterial comprising, rail means for supporting said strip, cutting meanspositioned at one end of said rail means, a stop mechanism positioned atthe other end of said rail means, a feeding mechanism including drivingmeans for feeding said strip past said cutting means and along said railmeans, said rail means including retractable side rails for supportingthe under surface of said strip and an intermediate rail engaging theupper side of said strip and including a surface extending below thelevel of the-top surfaces of said side rail to bow said strip across thewidth thereof to stiifen the same, and a control system associated withsaid stop mechanism and arranged to stop said feeding mechanism, actuatesaid cutting means and retract said rail means so that a sheet of thedesired length is cut off and dropped by said machine.

3. A machine for close tolerance cutting of sheets from a strip ofmaterial including in combination, rail means extending longitudinallyof said strip, cutting means positioned at one end of said rail means, afeeding mechanism including disengageable driving means for feeding saidstrip past said cutting means and along said rail means, said rail meansincluding portions positioned to engage upper and lower sides of saidstrip with the portions engaging the upper side of said strip extendingbelow the portions engaging the lower side thereof, to bow said stripacross the width thereof during the cutting operation to thereby stiffenthe same, a stop mechanism including a movable arm positioned at theother end of said rail means in the path of said strip and a positivestop which limits the move.. ment of said arm to stop the movement ofsaid strip past said cutting means, and a control system for disengagingsaid driving means from said feeding mechanism when the end of saidstrip engages said movable arm, said control system being effective toactuate said cutting means when the movement of said strip has stopped.

4. A machine for close tolerance cutting of sheets from fiat stripmaterial comprising, rail means extending longitudinally of said strip,cutting means positioned at one end of said rail means, a stop mechanismincluding a movable arm positioned at the other end of said rail means,a feeding mechanism spaced from said cutting means for feeding saidstrip past said cutting means and along said rail means, said feedingmechanism including driving means and a brake and having considerablemomentum so that an interval of time is required for stopping the sameafter said driving means is disengaged therefrom and said brake isapplied, said rail means including portions positioned to engage upperand lower sides of said strip with the portions engaging the upper sideof said strip extending below the portions engaging the lower sidethereof, to bow said strip vacross the width thereof to ineke theportion of the strip extending between said cutting means and said stopmechanism substantially rigid, during the cutting operation, and acontrol system for disengaging said driving means from said feedingmechanism and for applying said brake when the end of said strip engagessaid movable arm, said stop mechanism including a positive stop whichlimits the movement of said arm and thereby stops the movement of saidend of said strip at a predetermined position so that any additionalstrip material which is fed before said feeding mechanism stopsaccumulates between said feeding mechanism and said cutting means, saidcontrol system being adapted to actuate said cutting means when movementof said strip is stopped.

5. A machine for close tolerance cutting of sheets from flat stripmaterial having relatively wide face surfaces including in combination,first and second elongated rail means extending 1ongitudinally of saidstrip material on either side thereof, cutting means positioned at oneend of said rail means, a stop mechanism including a movable armpositioned at the other end of said rail means, a feeding mechanismspaced from said cutting means and including disengageable driving meansfor feeding said strip material past said cutting means and along saidrail means, said feeding mechanism havingr considerable momentum so thatan interval of time is required for stopping the same after said drivingmeans is disengaged therefrom, said first rail means having surfaceportions engaging said strip material on one side thereof, said secondrail means having surface portions engaging said strip material on theother side thereof and extending beyond said surface portions of saidrst rail means to bow said strip material across the width thereof alongthe entire longitudinal portion thereof extending between said cuttingmeans and said stop mechanism to make the same substantially rigidduring the cutting operation, and a control system for disengaging saiddriving means from said feeding mechanism when the end of said stripmaterial engages said movable arm, said stop mechanism including apositive stop which limits the movement of said arm and thereby stopsthe movement of said end of said strip material at a predeterminedposition so that any additional strip material which is fed before saidfeeding mechanism stops accumulates between said feeding and saidcutting means.

6. A machine for close tolerance cutting of sheets from flat stripmaterial having relatively wide face surfaces including in combination,first and second elongated rail means extending longitudinally of saidstrip material for supporting the same, cutting means positioned at oneend of said rail means, a stop mechanism positioned at the other end ofsaid rail means, a feeding mechanism spaced from said cutting means andincluding disengageable driving means for feeding said strip materialpast said cutting means and along said rail means, said feedingmechanism having considerable momentum so that an interval of time isrequired for stopping the same after said driving means is disengagedtherefrom, said first rail means including a pair of rails positionedlongitudinally of said strip material having surfaces defining a planewhich engage one face surface of said strip, said second rail meanshaving surface portions engaging the other face surface of said stripmaterial and extending from said plane in the direction of said pair orrails and in the space therebetween, said rail means bowing said stripmaterial across the width thereof along the entire portion thereofextending between said cutting means and said stop mechanism to make thesame substantially rigid during the cutting operation, and a controlsystem for disengaging said driving means from said feeding mechanismwhen the end of said strip material engages said stop mechanism, saidstop mechanism including a positive stop which limits the movement osaid strip material at predetermined lposition so that any additionalstrip material which is fed before said feeding mechanism stopsaccumulates between said feeding means and said cutting means.

7. A machine for close tolerance cutting of sheets from fiat strip1nateria1 having relatively wide face surface including in combination,rail mains extending longitudinally of said strip material forsupporting the same, cutting means positioned at one end of said railmeans, a stop mechanism positioned at the other end of said rail meansand spaced with respect to said cutting means to establish the length ofthe cut sheets, a feeding mechanism spaced from said cutting means forfeeding said strip material to said cutting means and past said cuttingmeans along said rail means to said stop mechanism, said feedingmechanism together with the strip material having considerable momentumso that an interval of time is required for stopping the same, said railmeans including a plurality of rails positioned longitudinally of saidstrip material and having portions interposed between each other withsurfaces thereof engaging opposite face surfaces of said strip to bowthe same across the width thereof throughout the entire length of theportion of said strip material extending between said cutting means andsaid stop mechanism to render the said portion substantially rigidlongitudinaliy during the cutting operation, and a control system forsaid feeding mechanism rendered operative when the end oi said stripmaterial engages said stop mechanism to stop said feeding mechanism,said stop mechanism including means for positively stopping the end ofsaid strip material when said end reaches a predetermined position, theportion of said strip material between said feeding mechanism and saidcutting means being freely supported allowing the same to bowlongitudinally so that any strip material which is fed after said endthereof has reached said predetermined position accumulates between saidfeeding mechanism and said cutting means.

8. A machine for close tolerance cutting of sheets from at stripmaterial having relatively wide face surfaces including in combination,rail 10 means extending longitudinally ci said strip material forsupporting the same, cutting means positioned at one end of said railmeans, a stop mechanism positioned at the ether end of said rail meansand spaced with respect to said cutting means to establish the length cithe cut sheets, a feeding mechanism spaced from said cutting means forfeeding strip material to said cutting means and past said cutting meansalong said rail means to said stop mechanism, said feeding mechanismtogether with the strip material having considerable momentum so thatanv interval ef time is required for stopping the same, said rail meansincluding spaced lower rails having tcp surfaces engaging one facesurface of said strip material and an upper rail positioned be'- tweensaid lower rails and having a bottom surface extending below the topsurfaces of said lower rails and engaging the other face surface of saidstrip material, to bow said strip material across the width thereofthroughout the entire length of the portion thereof extending betweensaid cutting means and said stop mechanism to render the said portionsubstantially rigid longitudinally during the cutting operation, and acontrol system for said feeding mechanism rendered operative when theend of said strip material engages said stop mechanism to stop saidfeeding mechanism, said stop mechanism including means for positivelystopping the end of said strip material when said end reaches apredetermined position, the portion of said strip material between saidfeeding mechanism and said cut` ting means being freely supportedallowing the same to bow longitudinally so that any strip material whichis fed after the end of said strip has reached said predeterminedposition accumulates between said feeding mechanism and said cuttingmeans, said control system actuating said cutting means when movement ofsaid strip material has stopped and 'thereafter causing said feedingmechanism to feed said strip material for the next sheet.

MATI-IIAS J. FEY.

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